The temple was silent except for the flickering of candles and the rhythmic chanting of the priests. Elias knelt before the altar, his pulse steady despite the weight of responsibility pressing on his shoulders. He had trained for this moment his entire life—to strengthen the divine seal that imprisoned the Demon God, Raziel.

High Priest Varian stepped forward, placing a firm hand on Elias’s shoulder. “You are blessed, Elias. Chosen by the gods themselves. Your sacrifice will keep the darkness at bay.”

Elias nodded, gripping the ceremonial dagger before him. The blade shimmered with divine runes, a relic of the gods. He knew what he had to do—spill his own blood, let it be absorbed into the seal, and ensure the Demon God remained locked away for another century.

But as soon as the blade sliced across his palm, something went horribly wrong.

A violent tremor shook the temple. The candles were snuffed out in an instant, plunging the room into darkness. A pulse of energy—cold, suffocating, ancient—rippled through the air, knocking the priests to the ground. Elias gasped as an unseen force wrapped around his body, lifting him from the floor.

Then, a voice. Deep, rich, laced with amusement and something far more dangerous.

“You were trying to imprison me again, little priest?”

Elias’s breath caught in his throat. He turned his head, and there—standing amidst the ruins of the shattered altar—was him.

Raziel.

The Demon God’s crimson eyes burned like molten fire, piercing through the darkness. His long silver hair cascaded past his shoulders, untouched by time. The sheer force of his presence made Elias’s knees weak, but he couldn’t afford to falter now.

Swallowing hard, Elias forced himself to meet that gaze. “I— I was meant to strengthen the seal, not break it!”

Raziel tilted his head, an amused smirk playing at his lips. “And yet, here I stand. Do you know what that means?”

Elias felt his throat tighten. “It means…” His voice wavered. “It means I failed.”

Raziel stepped closer, his boots making no sound against the stone floor. “No, little priest. It means you freed me.”

Elias’s heart pounded. That wasn’t possible. The gods wouldn’t allow it. He had followed the ritual exactly as he was taught.

“Lies,” Elias whispered, trying to steady his breath. “You’re trying to deceive me.”

Raziel chuckled—a low, velvety sound that sent shivers down Elias’s spine. “You wound me. I only speak the truth.” He reached out, and before Elias could recoil, his fingertips brushed against Elias’s forehead.

A sharp, burning sensation erupted between his eyes. Elias gasped, his entire body locking in place. A glowing mark—an intricate, twisting sigil—etched itself onto his skin.

Raziel’s smirk widened. “That mark binds us, priest. Your blood freed me, and now, you belong to me.”

Elias’s breath hitched. “You can’t—”

“Oh, I can,” Raziel interrupted, his voice dropping to a whisper. He leaned in, his lips dangerously close to Elias’s ear. “And you will soon learn… that there are far worse things than being bound to a Demon God.”

Elias’s vision blurred, the last thing he saw before darkness took him was Raziel’s knowing, wicked smile.

To be continued…

A sharp, throbbing pain shot through Elias’s head as he slowly regained consciousness. The scent of incense and burning wax was gone, replaced by something earthier—the dampness of stone and the faint metallic tang of blood.

He was no longer in the temple.

Groggily, Elias pushed himself up, his fingers grazing cold, uneven rock beneath him. He blinked against the dim light, his vision adjusting to his surroundings. The room was vast, its walls carved from dark stone, glowing red sigils pulsing faintly across their surfaces. Chains hung loosely from the ceiling, remnants of an ancient prison—Raziel’s prison.

And then, he saw him.

Raziel stood a few feet away, watching him with an unreadable expression. His long silver hair shimmered in the dim light, his crimson eyes glowing softly in the dark. He was dressed in black robes embroidered with arcane symbols, his posture relaxed yet commanding.

Elias’s pulse quickened. “Where—” His voice cracked. He swallowed hard and tried again. “Where have you taken me?”

Raziel smiled, tilting his head slightly. “You’re in my domain now, little priest.”

Elias stiffened. “That’s impossible. The gods wouldn’t allow—”

“The gods,” Raziel interrupted smoothly, “have long since abandoned this world. Or perhaps, they simply weren’t as powerful as you were led to believe.”

Elias clenched his fists. “That’s not true.”

Raziel took a step forward, and despite himself, Elias flinched. The demon god chuckled at the reaction, his gaze lingering on Elias’s palm—the wound he had made during the ritual.

“You still don’t understand, do you?” Raziel mused. “Your blood did not strengthen the seal. It shattered it. And in doing so, you forged a bond with me.”

Elias’s breath caught. “A bond?”

Raziel lifted a hand, and the mark on Elias’s forehead burned. A sharp, searing pain spread through his body, and he gasped, clutching his chest.

“You feel it now, don’t you?” Raziel murmured. “That mark binds us. Your soul is tethered to mine, and because of that, you can no longer escape me.”

Elias gritted his teeth, forcing himself to breathe through the pain. “Then break it.”

Raziel raised an eyebrow. “Break it? Why would I do that?”

Elias struggled to his feet, shaking from both exhaustion and fury. “Because I refuse to be your prisoner!”

Raziel’s smirk deepened. In a flash, he was in front of Elias, so close that Elias could feel the cold energy radiating from him. A single clawed finger tilted Elias’s chin up, forcing him to meet his gaze.

“You misunderstand,” Raziel murmured, his voice soft but laced with something dark. “You are not my prisoner, little priest.”

Elias’s breath caught as Raziel leaned in just enough for his next words to ghost over his lips.

“You are my beloved.”

Elias’s heart pounded so loudly he was sure Raziel could hear it. His body screamed at him to move, to push the demon away, but he was frozen in place.

Raziel straightened, stepping back as though he had all the time in the world. “Get some rest, Elias. You will need your strength for what comes next.”

Elias glared at him, every fiber of his being resisting the idea of submitting to Raziel’s will. “And if I refuse?”

Raziel merely smiled, eyes glinting with amusement. “Then you’ll soon learn that this bond cannot be denied.”

With a flick of his wrist, darkness surged around them, swallowing Elias whole.

To be continued…

Elias jolted awake, his body drenched in sweat. The sensation of darkness wrapping around him still lingered, as if Raziel’s magic had seeped into his very bones.

He sat up, his breathing heavy, only to realize he was no longer lying on cold stone. A bed—if it could even be called that—rested beneath him, covered in dark silk. The chamber was dimly lit by floating crimson orbs that cast eerie shadows across the walls.

He wasn’t in a prison. He was in Raziel’s domain.

“Finally awake, are we?”

Elias’s head snapped toward the voice. Raziel leaned against a grand, throne-like chair near the far wall, his long fingers lazily tracing the armrest. His crimson eyes gleamed with amusement as he studied Elias.

Elias scowled, pushing himself to his feet. “Why am I still here? What do you want from me?”

Raziel sighed dramatically. “Always so impatient, little priest. I thought you would have figured it out by now.” He stood, closing the distance between them in an instant. Elias tried not to flinch as the demon god towered over him.

“I already told you,” Raziel murmured, his voice dangerously smooth. “You and I are bound. Our fates are intertwined.”

Elias glared at him. “Then unbind me.”

A chuckle. Low, amused. “Oh, Elias,” Raziel said, shaking his head. “If only it were that simple.” He lifted a clawed hand, and immediately, the mark on Elias’s forehead burned.

Elias gasped, stumbling back as pain shot through him. It wasn’t just physical—it was as if something deep inside him was being pulled, as though his very soul was connected to Raziel’s presence.

“Hurts, doesn’t it?” Raziel mused. “That is the price of our bond. The farther you try to run, the worse it will get.”

Elias clutched his chest, panting through the pain. “You—” He gritted his teeth. “You did this on purpose.”

Raziel’s smirk remained, but his gaze darkened. “You think I planned this? No, priest. You were the one who bled over my prison. You were the one who set me free.” He stepped even closer, forcing Elias to meet his gaze.

“And now, you are mine.”

Elias clenched his fists. “I will never be yours.”

For a moment, Raziel simply stared at him, unreadable. Then, he chuckled. “We’ll see about that.”

With a flick of his wrist, the air around them shifted. A gust of dark energy crackled, and in an instant, the walls of the chamber seemed to dissolve into swirling shadows.

Elias stiffened. “What are you—”

“I’m offering you a choice,” Raziel interrupted, his voice suddenly serious. “You can continue resisting me, trying to fight what has already been decided by fate… or you can help me.”

Elias narrowed his eyes. “Help you? With what?”

Raziel’s expression darkened. “Vengeance.”

Elias’s breath hitched. “Vengeance against who?”

Raziel smirked. “The gods who sealed me away. The same ones who betrayed me.”

Elias shook his head. “You expect me to turn against the gods? I devoted my life to them!”

Raziel exhaled, almost as if he was expecting the response. “Did they ever tell you why I was sealed away?”

Elias opened his mouth, then hesitated. He had been told stories since childhood—the Demon God was a force of destruction, a being of chaos that sought to consume the world. But now, standing before Raziel, he realized something…

He had never questioned if those stories were true.

Raziel must have noticed the flicker of doubt in Elias’s eyes because he smiled. A slow, knowing smile.

“I will give you time to decide,” Raziel murmured. “But remember this, Elias—your gods abandoned you the moment they used you as their pawn.”

Elias’s hands trembled at his sides, but he said nothing.

“Rest now, little priest.” Raziel turned away, shadows swirling around him like living tendrils. “Because whether you accept it or not… the longer we are bound, the more you will become mine.”

And with that, he disappeared into the darkness, leaving Elias alone with the terrifying realization—

This bond might not just be impossible to break.

It might already be changing him.

To be continued…